polvo Posted December 16, 2022 Share Posted December 16, 2022 I'm looking at getting a 2nd hand bass as a bit of a restoration project. I've done little bits & pieces before, like resoldering loose wires, tweaking the action and fixing the intonation, but it's my first time actually restoring a bass. Most of the issues described in the bass I'm fairly confident with (or at least, I know where to start). But I'm thrown by what looks like missing inlays on the fretboard. First of all, does anyone know what could have caused this? Did the original bass (apparently a 70s jazz bass) just have inlay stickers that have since been removed? I always thought the inlays were physically laid into the wood of the fretboard. And more importantly - what do I do about it? Get new stickers? Maybe stain the entire fretboard to cover this up (and then add simple dot stickers)? Or is the only solution that will actually look good to just replace the entire neck of the bass? Help me please, fellow basschatters! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidan63 Posted December 16, 2022 Share Posted December 16, 2022 Looks like the originals had lifted and the voids have been filled with wood filler or the like; you could rout out the filler and maybe some more wood to fit new inlays or as you say just use stick on ones; stick on ones you can change the look to suit your mood, sharks fins one day, birds the next.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polvo Posted December 16, 2022 Author Share Posted December 16, 2022 1 hour ago, Aidan63 said: Looks like the originals had lifted and the voids have been filled with wood filler or the like; you could rout out the filler and maybe some more wood to fit new inlays or as you say just use stick on ones; stick on ones you can change the look to suit your mood, sharks fins one day, birds the next.... Are the inlay stickers a decent option then? I'd kind of assumed they'd be a bit rubbish, but maybe not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
binky_bass Posted December 19, 2022 Share Posted December 19, 2022 Inlay stickers can be perfectly reasonable solutions. One of my ACGs was made with no marker inlays (which I regret!) so I bought some 0.07mm thick abalone dot inlay stickers and to my eye it looks fine, does the job and I can't feel them. Don't get paper stickers or reasonably thick plastic stickers - buy some proper inlay stickers, my advice is buy the thinnest ones you can to avoid feeling them under finger. Lots of choice on eBay. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueMoon Posted December 20, 2022 Share Posted December 20, 2022 I’ve found stickers by the brand Jockomo to be the best for this purpose. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingBollock Posted December 20, 2022 Share Posted December 20, 2022 9 minutes ago, BlueMoon said: I’ve found stickers by the brand Jockomo to be the best for this purpose. Seconded. I have used these on a couple of instruments. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfretrock Posted December 22, 2022 Share Posted December 22, 2022 On 20/12/2022 at 14:54, BlueMoon said: I’ve found stickers by the brand Jockomo to be the best for this purpose. I contacted the Jockomo guy a few years ago. I asked for rosewood dots so I could cover up the originals and put on new dots where I'd shortened the scale with a capo. He replied "Learn how to play". I later found out he started his business after being asked to play a guitar with no markers. Huh! Jockomo stickers are good btw. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulThePlug Posted December 22, 2022 Share Posted December 22, 2022 (edited) 0000 Wire wool n lemon oil and leave the fretboard plain.... nice! Ya got dots on the side? Edited December 22, 2022 by PaulThePlug 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralf1e Posted January 3, 2023 Share Posted January 3, 2023 Looks filled in and badly at that. Maybe carefully clean the muck out and buy new inlays then fit them if you are serious about restoration. A baby router or router attachment with a Dremel will help you. If you have to fill around them make up a paste using sanding dust of real timber of the same type/colour with a clear dying wood glue or epoxy. Trick I learned on a personal tour of the Patrick Eggle factory longer than I care to remember ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody1957 Posted January 4, 2023 Share Posted January 4, 2023 Never ever look at my fretboard markers...just use the side neck markers for reference. Years ago l was in a band where we were all different children's characters....and l was Postman Pat. I ended up having to wear a paper machè Pats head with little round eyelets for vision! Hardly ever look at the fretboard much now... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingBollock Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 I find that when I play standing up (which I never actually do), the length I like my strap and the way my gut pushes the top of the bass forward, means that I can’t actually see the fretboard. I do, however, struggle a bit if I can’t see the side markers. I have always wanted to fit some of those FretFX strips to some of my basses but, because I don’t play live (which is why I never play standing up), I can’t justify the expense. The same goes for Luminlay. I should have some sticks of bright white rods coming today, for a couple of my basses where the side dots are just too dark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralf1e Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 25 minutes ago, KingBollock said: I find that when I play standing up (which I never actually do), the length I like my strap and the way my gut pushes the top of the bass forward, means that I can’t actually see the fretboard. I do, however, struggle a bit if I can’t see the side markers. I have always wanted to fit some of those FretFX strips to some of my basses but, because I don’t play live (which is why I never play standing up), I can’t justify the expense. The same goes for Luminlay. I should have some sticks of bright white rods coming today, for a couple of my basses where the side dots are just too dark. That has just reminded me we used two buy fine brass tube from the model making shop and put that in as side markers then a drop of liminous paint down the centre. Works a treat. Bugger that has spoiled my plans to use the 2mm plastic rods I got from Amazon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingBollock Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 51 minutes ago, Ralf1e said: That has just reminded me we used two buy fine brass tube from the model making shop and put that in as side markers then a drop of liminous paint down the centre. Works a treat. Bugger that has spoiled my plans to use the 2mm plastic rods I got from Amazon I did think of using white, styrene tubing, but I don’t have enough here to do a whole bass (and I need to do two). I might try to drill down the middle of the new dots and fill them with luminous paint. Though I’m not sure I will be able to drill accurately enough considering that I would normally do such small drilling on a desk, under bright lights and a magnifier. The dots will have an outer diameter of 2mm. I’ve got drill bits that go down to .3mm and I can use a syringe to inject the paint. But how small is too small? I need to allow enough of the white showing to be able to see it when the paint isn’t charged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralf1e Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 4 hours ago, KingBollock said: I did think of using white, styrene tubing, but I don’t have enough here to do a whole bass (and I need to do two). I might try to drill down the middle of the new dots and fill them with luminous paint. Though I’m not sure I will be able to drill accurately enough considering that I would normally do such small drilling on a desk, under bright lights and a magnifier. The dots will have an outer diameter of 2mm. I’ve got drill bits that go down to .3mm and I can use a syringe to inject the paint. But how small is too small? I need to allow enough of the white showing to be able to see it when the paint isn’t charged. Most of the side markers I see on instruments here seem to be at the 2mm point. I looked for paint earlier and didn't see anything to impress me so am reverting to plan A which is white and black plastic markers I already bought. Issue I have is side dot markers put it between the fret lines on a fretless? I am used to them being on the fret lines in two different colours which is what my Westone Spectrum has in white and red. If I leave the ones between the lines on the one I am working on I will get confused. I know I will.🤣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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